A Chorus Line at West Valley Arts

Last night I went to a production of A Chorus Line at the West Valley Performing Arts Center and it is outstanding in every way! A large group of dancers are vying for a chance to be part of the ensemble of a new Broadway show. The director Zach (Joseph Spear) observes as his assistant Larry (Madison Valgardson) takes the group through the choreography and all of the dancers express the hope that they will be cast. Eventually, the group is narrowed down to Cassie (Bailee Johnson), Kristine (Annie Jones), Richie (Phil Lewis), Bebe (Sophi Keller), Diana (Celeste Palermo), Connie (Ally Choe), Mark (Alec Foote), Greg (Dylan Panter), Al (Remy Talanoa), Paul (Angel Martinez), Bobby (Michael Avila), Maggie (Summer Sloan Alvey), Mike (Cameron Robbins), Val (Rosalie Wasser), and Sheila (Heather White). Zach wants to learn more than what is listed on their resumes so he asks them to talk about their experiences and what made each of them want to be a dancer and they do so in a series of stirring musical numbers. My favorite songs are "I Can Do That" as Mike talks about accompanying his sister to dance class, "At the Ballet" as Sheila, Bebe, and Maggie recount how they used ballet as an escape from their unhappy childhoods, "Gimme the Ball" as Richie describes how he almost became a kindergarten teacher before becoming a dancer, and "Dance: Ten, Looks: Three" as Val brags about getting more work after having plastic surgery. As the group learns the choreography for a number from the show, Zach confronts Cassie and it is revealed that she was once the star of one of his shows, as well as his former lover, and he doesn't think she will fit in with the chorus and he also has a poignant moment with Paul as he describes the difficulty he has had with his sexuality. The group rehearses "One" and Zach selects the final eight dancers who then perform this number in the show. The entire cast is stellar, one of the strongest I've seen at West Valley Arts, but the standouts for me are Johnson because I loved her mesmerizing performance in "The Music and the Mirror" and Martinez because his delivery of Paul's monologue is incredibly emotional. I wondered about the staging of this show because the theater is in the round but it is very clever. Zach initially observes the group from a platform above one of the wings but then we only hear his disembodied voice coming from various areas of the theater and this allows the dancers to face different parts of the audience as they speak to him. The choreography is also very clever (I have become a huge fan of co-director and co-choreographer Izzy Arrieta) because, while it is recognizable from other versions of this show that I have seen, lots of different patterns are created on stage so there is always something to look at. I also loved the use of the company as the individual characters perform their solo numbers, particularly during "And..."  The set is minimal because the audition takes place on a bare stage but I really liked the use of clear plexiglass panels around the perimeter because they are somewhat reflective and replicate the mirrors one would find in a ballet studio and the way that actual mirrors are incorporated into "The Music and the Mirror" is very effective. The costumes during the audition are also minimal but the sparkly gold ones used in the finale are quite spectacular (as is the dramatic lighting during this number). This stunning show is definitely one that you do not want to miss! It runs at the West Valley Performing Arts Center through May 3 with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (go here for tickets).